Insights

Community first

Do you live or work near a construction site? With over 60 sites up and down the country, it may even be one of ours. At BAM, many of our projects last many months – or even years – so we are committed to being a good neighbour.

Our sites sign up to the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), which aims to improve the image of construction. And with an average score four marks higher than the industry average; we strive to be respectful to the local community at all times. So, how do we do this?

Projects create and distribute regular newsletters to update the local community with information, upcoming events and important milestones. We regularly post updates on social media too, using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to keep everyone up to date with our progress and many of our sites also display community boards on the hoarding too. These boards include an overview of the project, what is being built, interesting facts, environmental targets and information about our site team. At one of our sites in Wales, the team has even translated the boards into Welsh. Links to Facebook pages and comment post boxes provide a way for local people to give their feedback, so if you have any questions – please get in touch, we love hearing from you!

Our first bilingual community board on display at Ysgol Bro Gwaun Fishguard School

We often open our sites and offices up too, offering a glimpse of what goes on behind the big green hoarding. We do this by participating in the annual Open Doors event (2017 sites will be announced in March), hosting school tours, work experience placements, apprenticeships, summer schools and even teacher placements. We really enjoy showing off our sites – our people are passionate about what they do and love to have to opportunity to talk about it!

Open Doors 2016 was a great success

Site visits also let the next generation have an insight into what the world of construction looks like. By giving young people the opportunity to understand the career paths available within construction; we hope to foster new engineers, surveyors, project managers and innovators. And with the construction industry facing a skills shortage, this type of engagement has become even more important. After all, construction doesn’t just need the traditional skills – we also need community and sustainability advisors (like me), we have roles in communication, graphics (just take a look at some of them on here), IT, marketing, and newly created roles in digital construction and BIM. We often visit local career fairs, so if you see us, come over to find out more.

Ready to help at a careers fair

Our site teams also spend time behind the scenes, helping to look after their local environment in ways you might not even notice. With winter coming, it can be hard to keep mud off the roads, which is why you might see wheel washes and rumble strips at site entrances, and regular road sweepers patrolling the local roads, all to keep your roads clean. We also limit and schedule deliveries in advance, to avoid disrupting rush-hour traffic. And to make site hoarding more attractive, we often invite local schools or art groups to paint them with their own designs.

Just some of our hoarding displays

We have worked hard over the years to make being near a development a positive experience. At BAM, we don’t just create buildings – we create a lasting legacy by offering local communities opportunities throughout the whole construction process.